


Designer Shoes and Xanax Tabs

by itstartsat10



Series: Zenned Out [1]
Category: That 70s Show
Genre: Aged Up, F/M, Hyde is struggling with addiction, Modern AU, dark au, jackie is dealing with her dad, zenmasters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2018-11-19 16:54:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11317668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itstartsat10/pseuds/itstartsat10
Summary: Ten years after the gang graduates, Hyde returns to Point Place with the same attitude and new addictions.





	1. Moodz

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based off of Blackbear's Digital Druglord! The name of each chapter is the song it's based off of.

Point Place had always been suffocating. Hyde hadn’t felt like he could breathe since he was born. When he finally got out, moved his sorry ass to New York, he expected the heaviness in his chest to be lifted and placed on someone deserving of it. Forman had the perfect, boring, hallmark card life- why couldn’t he suffer? Why did all the bad things that Wisconsin had to offer land on Hyde’s shoulders even when he was miles away? 

High school had had been no better for the curly haired man. His need to prove the authoritative figures in his life wrong had only prevented him from being a model student, something a white collar job would probably take into consideration. That's what white collar jobs did to men like him, demean them until they were janitors or postal workers. Luckily, the only place tying him down like that was damned Wisconsin. 

The day he received the email, he nearly dropped his phone. A reunion? The class had just made it out of the hellhole, how were they supposed to drag themselves back? Hyde couldn’t even imagine walking into a room full of people he’d so acutely avoided for years. Even worse, he'd have to see just how unsuccessful he was compared to his class full of bumbling corporate idiots. The only thing that appealed to him was returning to town and relieving some unresolved feelings by checking in on his friends.

Hyde figured that the high school reunion was the perfect place to make a quick appearance, maybe check on Forman’s kids, then he could not feel guilty about living so far away from the place that shaped him. Guilt had plagued his life in New York and he couldn’t handle the responsibility of keeping himself sane anymore. Guilt had even made him want to reach out, send a call Kitty’s way or something that could steady his constantly shaking hands. He needed to be emancipated from the small town life that kept dragging him back home. 

Somehow, that even made him feel like he was betraying his roots. Hyde only knew of one way to handle the emotions that came with finally giving up on his old home- but it wasn’t working to push it away anymore. He was going to have to be adult and face the consequences of a wasted childhood. 

“Kelso, you’re an idiot. You took a layover flight that lasted ten hours?” The blonde huffed, angrily folding his arms across his chest. The model and the stoner sat uncomfortably in a taxi from the Kenosha airport, the both of them cramming their legs against the wall separating them from their driver. It’s been only two months since he’s talked to Michael Kelso in person and he’s already got a raging headache. When Kelso nods in response to his question, Hyde flips his hands up in the air. “It’s a three hour flight from LA to Point Place! You wasted your time.”

“I don’t know, man, you’re the one wasting time talking about it.”

Hyde slams his hands back down to his thighs and shakes his head. “I miss the thousands of miles between us.”

Kelso nods goofily, starting to go on about his excitement about the reunion and what chicks he could pick up from it. Hyde ignores it, letting his old friend talk for awhile, only because it gives him enough time to clench his fists and close his eyes in an attempt to steady his quickly drumming heartbeat. The previous master of zen could hardly stop himself from panicking right there in his shared taxi.

“Hey man, you heard about Jackie’s dad? Kitty texted me he’s gotten better. Jackies been in town awhile, but apparently he’s in emission. She’ll be the perfect mixture of depression and hope, I think I can bag her.”

Hyde blinks, turning his head towards the taller man. “Do you mean remission? I didn’t even know he had cancer- how long has he had it? When was he diagnosed?”

“Jeez, Hyde, someone’s interested in Jackie’s life.” Kelso teases and Hyde blanches, refolding his arms angrily.

“I don’t care about her.” He says, a perfect picture of forced zen. “I just hadn’t heard.” He stews on the news for a few, stressful seconds, gulping heavily. They had each others numbers, she could've called. He would've come around to her. 

The taxi driver saves him another few minutes of the too casual tormenting about his ex-girlfriend by pulling down Formans street, causing Hyde to punch Kelso’s lanky arm and unbuckle his seatbelt hurriedly. “Does anything ever change around here?”

“Actually, there’s a WalMart and a-” Hyde takes his pleasure in tuning him out once more when the cab finally stops and he can shove himself through the cab's door. He throws the trunk open and starts grabbing at his bags when Kitty dashes through the familiar sliding glass door and flings herself at his chest, despite his full hands.

Hyde drops the bags willingly, wrapping his arms around the woman and squeezing her tight, before regaining his cool demeanor and untangling himself from her. 

“Steven!” She scolds immediately, agitation filling her wavering voice. “You can’t not come around for two years and give me that hug. You’ll kill a perfectly loving mother.”

Hyde laughs nervously, bringing his hand to rub the back of his neck. “Mrs. Forman, there’s plenty of time to suffocate me later.”

She gives him a disbelieving look before moving on to Kelso, giving him a moment to breathe in the fresh air. Nothing outside of the house has changed, hopefully nothing inside other than the main ownership of it. Ownership was a scam to make you feel like your taxes meant a damn anyways. 

None other than Eric Forman ruined the moment, running out of the house. “Hyde, man, you came.” Eric huffs, skidding to a stop next to him.

“Any chance for free booze, I’ll be here.” Hyde shrugs before kneeling down to ruffle the red hair blooming from the four year old kid that's followed her father out. “You’ve gotten bigger since I last saw you. Still fighting the man?”

The kid nods eagerly and sticks out a fist, which the man gingerly bumps back. “Good. Keep it up, raise some hell for your dad.” Eric objects blandly as Hyde rises back into his former stance, nodding in towards greeting in his friends direction. 

“How’s New York, buddy?” Hyde nods again, eyebrows scrunching together before quickly parting once more. “It’s,” He pauses, trying to convey a point he doesn’t really feel comfortable making. “Life is always a party there, man.”

Eric grins cluelessly and laughs. “Living the life, Hyde! You did better than all of us.” Kelso whoops from behind them, sauntering up to stand next to Forman. 

Hyde doesn’t react, just moves to pick up his long abandoned bags from the ground. “Just glad to be back in this hellhole. Speaking of hell, how is the confines of domesticity?”

The father shrugs raggedly and turns his head to glance back down at his daughter. “We should head on inside, Donna will be mad she hasn’t been able to tease you about the length of your hair yet.” Kelso makes a cracking noise that the two have to guess is along the lines of a whip. “You keep going, make sure that Mrs. Forman got back inside alright. I gotta light up without the threat of looking at your kids drawings.” 

His friends laugh and chatter as they go through the house's front door. Hyde swings his leg around him, turning to look at the nearly disappearing sun. He sniffs softly, hand rising to his nose. Hyde quickly looks down, shocked to find his fingers wet and stained with red. He sucks in a hasty breath, stress forms tension in his back that pulls heavily at his shoulders, which fall, quickly, in defeat.

The kitchen is filled with voices from his past, so overwhelming he has to take a step back, hovering in between the sliding doors of the Forman’s kitchen. He’s already drawn attention to himself and the entire room erupts in greeting. Hyde nods and smiles, heading further into the kitchen hesitantly. It's clear that he's not going to get time to wash off his face unless he makes his way quickly, forcing his head down as he all but runs to the bathroom near the stair to his basement. The Forman's basement.

He reaches for the handle of the white door he’s finally gotten to, only for it to swing open. They stare at each other for a few moments, tension creeping into both of their faces. 

“Jackie.”


	2. Juicy Sweatsuits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Tell me why my exes besties now  
> Acting like it stress me out  
> Mad that I won't text them now  
> Y'all just look depressin' now
> 
> I was down for you  
> At one point in my life  
> Down for you  
> Once upon a time  
> You held me down  
> Now you just holding me back.”

Years have passed since she last saw the lot of them completely gathered together. The time had treated her well, she’d moved to LA, she gained millions of followers, and she had become the brand she’d always marketed herself to be. Nothing should have caused the stress that came with reuniting with her high school companions.

She pins it on her father, the stress that comes with having a father in prison, the pure panic that comes with him having lung cancer from cigarettes she told him to lay off. Tax fraud apparently meant rotting in a disgusting cell with murderers and thieves. Murderers and tax fraud-ers could not possibly be considered equals, but they were. She’d spent a month staying in the Forman’s household like she was a teenager again, dealing with their sticky ginger children, and walking around in rages that she couldn’t hold back. 

Her father going into remission had been an utter shock. Jackie had spent several months coping and figuring out how to say goodbye to an absent father that needed her to be there for him. She’d cried, freely, in front of the whole chemo center when he was walked out and told her the news. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d let herself sob the way she needed to.

The house was comfortable to her once more, but only when she wasn’t being hit with memories of love she’d thought she could manage to keep. Her teenage years were spent in her friends homes, ones she dreamed of living in with her husband and her kids. 

She stares deeply into the mirror, psyching herself up to see all of her oldest friends again. Jackie pushes her hair to the side before quickly moving it into it’s usually parted place. She makes a face, messing with her thick hair one last time before she reaches for the doorknob, twisting and pulling the wood towards her. She’s met face to face with the very person she’d planned for months to avoid that night. Tension eases itself into her shoulders, making her body heavy. “Steven.” She pauses, then quickly continues. “Why is your nose bleeding?”

Hyde shrugs and stares right through her, making her shiver. “Getting high can do that to you, Steven.” He blinks, eyebrows crumpling into a downwards shape. She relishes in the shock he expresses and hopes for it to sting in his chest the same way it burnt her tongue.

“I seem to remember you frequenting in the basement circles. And, Jackie, just because you moved to LA doesn’t mean you’re living in some sick, self-indulgent movie.” He says it with a malice she can’t remember ever detecting in his voice. “That’s different.” She shrugs off the offensive comment. “Michael told me you’re the one playing around in drugs like you’re Scarface.”

The blonde man rolls his eyes, fists clenching. “Kelso’s an idiot. Are you going to continue holding the Forman’s hand towels hostage or are you going to move?”

She sighs and moves out of the way, narrowly avoiding touching him as she scoots towards the kitchen. Hyde shoots her a cruel smile as he slams the door shut. Jackie squints at the off colored wood before stomping into the kitchen. 

“Michael!” She demands, catching the model’s attention. “You want to have dinner tonight?”

Kelso jumps up from the dining table, hurriedly trying to swallow the chips he was stuffing himself with. “Sorry, jacks, I got dinner with the boys tonight. Gonna get laid!” He yells before quickly covering his messy tracks. “I mean, Hyde, Fez, and I are getting laid! Eric is being the perfect father!” 

Jackie stomps her left foot, mind racing as she surveyed what she could do to drag him out his plans Since when had Hyde and Kelso been on good enough terms to go out to dinner? She backs up, pressing her back against the fridge. Kelso had heard her complain about Hyde being the one so many times, how could he just ignore her pain and go out with him? Typical Michael. 

A door slams to her left and throws her back into reality. Donna shouts at Hyde to come over to the seat her feet are resting on as he enters the already crowded kitchen. Jackie turns her attention away from the two, sauntering over to the kitchen counter and boosting herself up to sit next to Fez. 

Fez laughs at something Kelso said from across the room and she nudges his shoulder. “Fezzie, can I come with you tonight? I’ll introduce you to my pretty friends. They’re not as pretty as me, but you’ll be happy with them.” Eric, who Jackie hadn’t realized had moved close to them, shouts. “Fez, do not tell her she can come! She’s not a guy.”

The brunette laughs. “Neither are you, Forman, but you’re going.” Eric sneers at her and she makes a face in reply. “How hot are they?” Fez asks.

“At least hotter than Donna.” Donna turns her head to them and throws a napkin at her in defense. Eric sighs in immediate defeat, the both of them watching Fez light up.

 

Not two hours later, the five are in Point Place’s hottest bar. Jackie can’t believe she’s from a town with the biggest bar filled with the cowboy type.

The moment the group walked in, Kelso was gone, harassing a group of girls maybe three years older than them. Fez had ran after him, trying harder than Jackie had ever seen him try as a teenager to pick up one of them. Eric stayed in by Jackie’s side awhile longer, deep in conversation with Hyde. 

The brunette followed them quietly, sipping at a Manhattan and judging their outfit choices in her head. Time passed in slow motion when the three sat, Jackie staring down at the dirty table, mulling over her father’s condition. 

She never realized how quickly she could lose someone, her father’s diagnosis and the start of his chemotherapy had only been a week apart. Remission had been a miracle she wasn’t expecting. The model had been sure she was going to lose her father. Her eyes got misty and she knew it was time to pull out her phone to distract herself.

White light lit up her features, bored as she scrolled through a feed of Instagrammers posting the same indulgent content she did. Jackie had assumed she’d walk into a hardly lit club and be surrounded by admirers. That’s how L.A. worked out for her, what a shame Wisconsin was so senseless.

Eventually she looked up to see an empty table before her. Panic arose in her chest, looking around the bar. She spotted Eric at some old video games from the eighties the bar owned. Kelso was uncomfortably close to a girl and Fez was talking to the bartender. She sighed and turned her head to look back down at the brown tabletop, reminding herself frowning causes wrinkles. Someone sits at a chair next to her and she glances up to check the person out.

Hyde nods at her in that aloof way he does everything. She surveys him, eyes wandering over his facial features. Her gaze drops to the collar of his seventies style brown jacket. Loose powder was dusted across the fabric, clearly wiped from his face. 

“Really?” She asks, tone condescending. “How on earth did you sneak that through TSA?”

Hyde shrugs and looks away from her intense gaze.

“God, Steven. I’m so glad I didn’t marry you.”


	3. Make Daddy Proud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What is it with you?  
> Constantly fighting me and lying to me tryin' me  
> One of these days I'll be done."

The man blanches at the comment, features working quickly to disguise the hurt. Hyde would call himself tough, he can take a punch and he’s good at selling the ‘Sticks and Stones’ vibe. He’s perfected a stony look that keeps people an arms length away. Even his oldest friends flinch when they know they’ve provoked his temper.

But Jackie knows better.

He looked past his anger and tried to make her look less pathetic. Hyde had sat there, right next to her, and he hadn’t even said anything before she jumped at his throat. How could she have just ragged on him like that? 

In some aspect, he saw his issues. Hell, he had been doing cocaine in a bathroom and half expecting to run off with his high school sweetheart when he walked out. Hyde liked New York, liked the never-ending stache and loved the stream of girls flowed in and out of his bedroom, but he missed the group. He missed his substitute mom and feeling, somehow, more stable. But he is doing good, he's surviving and he wants someone to acknowledge it. 

He’s still silently mulling over it as he walks towards a light. They've been back at Forman’s for awhile now and, as far as he knows, the guys had all went to drunkenly pass out. Cold has settled over a dark Wisconsin night and the figure of a girl is backlit as Hyde approaches the door.

He sits in the lawn chair next to Jackie, settling in before he dares to glance at her. She's got her phone in her lap and it's occasional ding lights up her features with a blue glow. Crickets chirp at them and white noise rings in his ears before he has to break the silence. 

“This is it now?” 

Jackie whips her head towards him, eyebrows high. “This is what, Steven?” She groans, sounding fiery but looking small.

Hyde drums his fingers across his thigh, jaw tense. “You act like a bitch and I act like an ass and we never get through a conversation.” He has more to say, aching for a good fight and hating himself for it, but keeps it buried.

“Steven, you wanted this. You thrive on being angry, Mrs. Forman says so.” The brunette says, sounding sure of herself. “You want to be mad at me so you can act like a petulant child whenever you want.”

Hyde seethes. “Did Mrs. Forman also address your obsession with being a subdued housewife or is that the next session?”

She sighs and Hyde backtracks. “How’s your dad?”

Jackie shakes her head. “Have you seen Johnny yet? He’s gorgeous, LA really does hold all the beautiful people.” Hyde scoffs, eyes narrowing at the new topic. He considers jumping in front of a car that he watches pass. 

He’s seen him, but won’t admit it. Nor does he want to admit he cares about her enough to let a new boyfriend bother him. His curls bounce as he pinches his nose, trying to relieve the ache that's slowly flared in his nostrils. “No, but you’re good at finding insufferable asses. I’m sure he’s a model and you’re filled with love and rainbows and he’s got a pet unicorn.”

Jackie huffs, finally shifting her body to glare at him. “Don't forget you’re one of them. You think you’re not every guy in Hollywood, but you're the same insufferable ass that they are. Steven, you are on crack, you live in an ugly city, and you left me for a stripper.”

“Okay, Jackie, you’re the one who ran.” He shifts forward in his chair. “You left me and I was ready to- jesus, I can’t do this right now.”

Jackie gingerly stands, tucking her phone into her back pocket. “There is no other time for fixing us, because there isn’t a time or place for us anymore.” 

He grunts, fiddling with the sunglasses he doesn’t remember pulling off. “Hey, you wanted things this way. You screwed around with Kelso so you didn’t have to face me. You want to be worshipped and I won’t give you that. ”

Jackie says something he’s sure is biting but he’s already pulling the shades over his eyes. His eyes are trained forward.

“Steven.” Jackie sighs. “I’m done with you. Be done with me.”

* * *

Through the smoke is a flash of bright red hair and a whining Kelso, sitting in his usual seat. He nods at Donna, who’s looking him over with a wary gaze. 

“Are all my teeth in my mouth?” She whispers. The redhead quirks an eyebrow up in a silent question. Hyde shakes his head no and laughs as she scrambles to look for her teeth on the floor. 

The cigarette is in Fez’s hands next to him and he makes a grab for it, but stops, deer in the headlights, at the sound of Kelso’s obnoxious whine. 

“She made the right choice, man.” Hyde says, laughing condescendingly as he leans back, empty handed, and tunes into the conversation.

“I am sorry the pretty lady won’t sleep with you. Did you show her your Instagram?”

“Fez!” Kelso yelps, seemingly offended. “Duh! I don’t know how she made it through the leather jacket pictures! I would date myself in that jacket.”

“Kelso, you dated yourself enough in high school.” Donna quips, teeth seemingly forgotten. 

The tall brunette throws a disbelieving look their way. Hyde snickers. The basement slowly quiets as Eric thunders down the stairs, declaring his child has finally gone back to bed. Chatter begins once more. Jackie leans over Donna’s lap to glare at him. The redhead ignores her actions and continues barraging Kelso with witty assaults. 

Hyde stares back, unshaken. The joint has made its way to Jackie and she holds it out to him.

Something passes between them. The sound seems to stop and their friends move around them in slow motion. The air feels tight in his lungs for only a moment. He breathes out and Jackie nods.

They both start to laugh and they keep laughing. Hyde knows this peace is only for the night. 

He doesn’t know if it’s the weed or this commercialized idea of a happily ever after he’s been fed, but he wants that peace. 

He wants it bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short after taking over a half a years break on this, but I honestly plan on rewriting the whole thing someday. But I think these characters are unknowingly complex b/c the writers kept opening doors for them and forgetting about it- that's a rant for another time. Enjoy and tell me what I could do better or what you liked!


End file.
